Happily Ever After
by pocahontasneedsherjohnsmith
Summary: A series of fluffy Chuck and Blair one shots set after 6x10
1. Chapter 1

"So where are we going on honeymoon?" Blair inquired as she gestured for Chuck to unzip her dress. She slithered out of her ice blue Elie Saab wedding dress and set it aside for Dorota to hang in her monstrous closet in the morning. Chuck smirked and his arm snaked around her small waist, the silky material of her slip against his fingers.

"I was thinking we'd visit Monte Carlo for a few days and then go to Tuscany. It's only fitting." Blair took his face in her hands, her wedding ring glinted and caught her attention for a grinned.

"What?" He questioned her. She held her left hand in front of his face.

"You've finally made an honest woman of me, Bass." Chuck lifted Blair into his arms suddenly and she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck for support.

"No comment about Monte Carlo?" His eyes bored into hers.

"It sounds perfect. As long as we can re-create summer." She wriggled to escape but his hold tightened and his face grew devious.

"That's what I had in mind." he promised her. Squirming, she smiled at him and he set her back on her feet. She reached up kiss him. When they resurfaced for air, she rested her forehead against his and they spent a moment, reveling in their blissful harmony. Chuck took her hands in his and held them.

"Everything I want, I have." He smiled and gazed at her with a longing stare that made her feel wanted and loved.

"You're such a hopeless romantic, Chuck." She rolled her eyes at him and padded to her bed, she sank down on the plush coverlets and propped herself up against the carved mahogany headboard.

"I still can't believe that Dan is gossip girl. To think that he'd post such vicious things about me, you, Serena. Let alone Jenny." Blair still winced slightly at the mention of the youngest Brooklynite. Chuck moved to sit beside her and his arms encircled her.

"Really, Blair. We're going to talk about the Humphrey's on our wedding night." She fondly flicked his cheek with her fingernail and he mimed pain.

"We certainly aren't going to talk about the Humphrey's. Not on our wedding night. Not ever."

Chuck smirked in response and buried his face in her soft hair, kissing the top of her head.

"Why are we still here? Surely we should be as far away from my mother and Cyrus as is possible, considering the fact that it is the night of our wedding and we've not been together since, well, Monte Carlo…" Blair said in a frustrated manner. Chuck simply pulled her to her feet and said

"I don't know, but being far away from your mother and Cyrus is probably a good plan." He smiled and pulled her towards the door. When she stopped dead, he turned around to see what the problem was.

"Chuck, I'm not dressed." She tugged at the bottom end of her lace slip. He ran his hands down the length of her arms and flashed a brilliant grin.

"That wouldn't usually be a problem, but I don't particularly want to share you with the rest of the world." He gestured for her to visit her closet with his chin. "Don't take too long, Mrs Bass." She felt a familiar sense of security when his silky voice spoke her new name and she all but skipped to her closet with glee.

Blair pulled her lingerie chest open, running her hands across the silk and satin. Nothing in her life had ever been as easy and right as being with Chuck. He was her soul mate, someone she could scheme with, of course, their mutual love of burlesque was yet another reason as to why they were so perfect for one another. The past year had been torturous. Each time that she had wanted to be with Chuck, it was impossible. But when she had her chance, she hadn't taken it. But now they were married. The year behind them disappearing into the past, she felt unstoppable. She fished out her ivory lace agent provocateur corset and matching stockings - she thought that ivory was fitting, as she was just married. After concealing the lingerie under a short, navy and incredibly tight Herve Leger number that Chuck had complimented once upon a time, she slipped her feet into matching pumps and just as she was reaching her coat, she heard Chuck behind her.

"What's taking so long?" He whinged, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Patience, Bass. They say good things come to those who wait." She whispered, smirking to herself at the ghost of conversations passed. Chuck pulled the pins from her hair, allowing her chestnut curls to cascade down her back. He twisted her round to face him, taking in the tight fit of her dress against her slight form.

"Ravishing, as always."

Blair sighed in satisfaction and let herself be pulled away from her beloved closet.

"I brought the car around." he informed her as they descended the stairs, their hands entwined.

"Oh good. You know how much I love a limo." she teased, feeling his hand tighten around hers and his heart rate quicken. She deliberately slowed herself on the way down the seemingly growing staircase. There was nothing Chuck Bass couldn't resist more than Blair and she used this information to her advantage.

When they reached Chuck's sleek black limo, he opened the door for her and she gracefully slid in, purposely revealing the bottoms of her lace garters, which she knew would drive him mad. He climbed in behind her and she moved up on the cool leather interior to make room for him. The minute the door closed, she felt herself slide along the seat as he pulled her close to him. Their electric attraction pulsing underneath their clothes. He wordlessly put his arm around her waist, drawing her even closer. She lay her head against his side and relaxed into his familiar hold, inhaling his scent. The smell of peppermint and old spice comforted and pleased her.

"So when do I get to see what you're hiding under there?" His hand moved to her exposed leg, where the suspenders were peeking out suggestively.

"Soon, if you're good." She turned to face him with a smirk plastered on her face.

"You're a tease." He stated, running his hand along the smooth skin of her thigh.

"And you can't control yourself." She responded, smacking his hand away playfully.

"I can't help it. Look at you." His eyes traveled the length of her body. She basked in his adoration and smiled at him, batting her eyelashes.

"Can we go to Victrola?" She asked him innocently, instantly feeling his body tense, she suppressed a giggle.

"Your wish is my command." He told her, giving the new instructions to his driver.

"I thought I'd reacquaint myself with your stage." Blair said casually, as if she hadn't planned it down to the very last detail. His eyes widened and once again, she delighted in his obvious desire for her. The vehicle slowly came to a halt and the driver opened the door, Chuck stepped out in a hurry and Blair idly offered him her hand which he gladly grasped, pulling her gently from the limo. She straightened her dress and marched towards the door, swaying her hips more than she usually might. Chuck reached in to his pocket, retrieving the key to the establishment and fumbled to open the multiple locks he'd had installed on the club. When the door opened, he gestured for her to step inside and she did. He locked the door behind them and switched the power on. Dim lights flickered on and the club was just as she'd remembered. The place had a sexy ambiance even when it was empty. She made her way towards the large stage and climbed up the stairs with as much sass as she could muster.

Chuck followed her with his eyes, hardly able to believe what he was witnessing. His stomach dropped when his new wife strutted to the stage of his beloved burlesque joint and once again placed herself in the centre, planning to dance for him like she had the night she'd given him her virginity, the night that they'd given in to what he knew was inevitable.

"A girl needs music to dance to." She called out to him. He pursed his lips and tried to remember how to turn on the sound system, upon figuring out the method, he decided that if they were taking a look back to the past, she should dance to the same song. He remembered the details of that night down to the very last note, so finding the song wasn't difficult. As the music pulsed through the club, he strolled back into the main room, Blair stood with her hands on her hips and her expression was decadent. He'd known he was in for quite a ride from the moment he'd said I do - but this, this was something else altogether. He sat back on the red velvet couch and looked up at her. She began to sway her hips from side to side. The memories filled his head, and he was transported back to that night.

_"Come on, you're ten times hotter than any of those girls." He promised, leaning against her shoulder in order to convince her._

_ "I know what you're doing, Bass." She told him, stubborn as ever. A moment passed, he watched her with a knowing smirk. _

_"You really don't think I'd go up there…" She shook her head at him, her glossy curls bouncing at her shoulders._

_ "I know you won't do it." He challenged her. She stared at him, open mouthed and before he could say another word she handed him her half empty champagne flute. _

_"Guard my drink." She instructed him before sashaying to the stage in her pale green, high necked dress and louboutin heels. He crossed his legs and grinned. Finding it difficult to believe that Blair Waldorf, virgin queen and his best friends very recent ex-girlfriend, was about to perform at his burlesque club. True to her word, she strutted to the centre of the stage, taking her place in the middle of all the other dancers who were blurred from Chuck's vision all of a sudden. He only saw her. She moved her body in time to the rhythm of the sensual music, her hands gliding up to remove her signature headband, her eyes locked with his. She threw the headband into the crowd of cheering partiers. Her hands moved to her dress, she slowly unzipped the garment and let it fall to the floor. Chuck gaped at her flawless figure, concealed only by a thin slip. He rose to his feet and watched her as her arms rose above her head and she swayed from side to side. Chuck moved closer to the stage, feeling the presence of someone behind him, but ignoring it. She swept the hair from the back of her neck and he watched in awe as she gazed over her dainty shoulder and smirked at him._

_ "Who's that girl?" A voice asked from behind him. The only response he could return was _

_"I have no idea." Because he truly didn't. If it wasn't for her identical appearance, he would be sure that this girl was not Blair Waldorf at all, but some courageous minx, sent from the heavens, purely to torture him for his womanizing and underage partying ways. Her hands rose to tease the hem of her slip, the seam of her stockings seeming to be endless. He adjusted his jacket and gulped, feeling himself become more and more aware of her perfection._

The light thud of her jewellery against the stage brought him back to the present and he saw her again, six years older but this time, she was his. Not Nate's, not Humphrey's and she definitely did not belong to that pompous French prince. She was only his. And he loved her. More than he could put into words.

Blair grinned at Chuck. This time there was no one there to watch except him and she wouldn't of had it any other way. Her hands found the zip on her dress and she gently slipped it down and let it fall to the floor, leaving her stood in her underwear. She saw Chuck's jaw drop and took it as her cue to dance. She shimmied seductively for him, exposing the nape of her neck, his kyrptonite. She saw him loosen his collar. He was becoming aroused and she realised it wouldn't be long before he gave up on waiting and grabbed her. Forever wanting to be in control, she ended the dance and walked with poise to him. He was speechless, taking in everything about her. The way her curves were defined by the underwear she had on, her pale but glowing skin, she looked tiny, tiny and perfect. She had never looked more beautiful to him. The moment she straddled his lap, she became aware of his erection. He gripped her thighs when she threw her arms around his neck and leaned in to capture his lips. Before she could claim his mouth, he whispered

"You're beautiful, Blair." She was too overcome with happiness and the wonder of the moment to come up with a verbal response so she kissed him with everything she had. It was an explosion of passion. His mouth opened underneath hers and her tongue curled around his. He pulled her closer to him and his hands moved to un-hook her corset. Briefly she remembered when he had once allowed her underwear to be loaned out to a stripper, luckily for him, he had seen fit to never do so again. Dismissing the memory, she pulled at his bow tie and speedily unbuttoned his shirt, pushing the sleeves of his jacket over his shoulders. She hungered for his touch, craved it. He freed her of the corset and she wrapped her legs around his torso. He grasped the small of her back so her could lift her up, she felt weightless and as her pushed her up against the wall, she moaned into his skin and ran her fingers through his hair, her nails digging into his scalp. With their bodies smashed up against one another, she felt alive and needed. He cherished her in ways that no one else ever had. He made her feel loved and desired and despite everything they had been through, their bond was incomparable to any other that either of them had ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

Blair Waldorf-Bass seated herself on a bench, she smoothed out the skirt of her floral sundress before sitting back and observing with amusement as her new husband wandered around the rustic streets of Florence, in search specifically of pistachio flavoured gelato for her. Blair saw Chuck disappear into a seemingly crowded store so she un-zipped her bag and reached in to eagerly pull out her phone. She'd not had a spare moment to talk to her best friend during the entire week. The screen of her blackberry lit up and she noticed that she had eight text messages. Chuckling, and rolling her eyes, Blair unlocked the phone and sure enough, all of the messages were from her favourite blonde, Serena Van Der Woodsen. Blair scrolled through the texts before pressing the call button and holding her phone to her ear. Serena answered the phone on the second ring.

"Blair!" Serena all but squealed through the phone.

"Serena!" Blair answered with similar enthusiasm

"How are you? Are you enjoying your honeymoon? Tell me everything!" Serena blurted out excitedly.

"Everything's great. Chuck is perfect." She sighed.

"I'm so happy for you, B!" Blair could hear Serena's smile through the phone.

"Me too. Now tell me about Humphrey!" She ordered.

"Well, we've decided to take things slowly. We need to earn back each others trust. But I feel like I'm sixteen and in love again." Serena gushed. As much as Blair despised Dan, she had to admit that it he made Serena happy. Blair would do anything to ensure Serena's happiness. Even if it meant putting up with Humphrey at the Van Der Waldorf Bass family brunches. Blair listened to Serena babble happily about Dan, responding with appropriate 'oohs and aahs' when necessary until she saw Chuck making his way towards her - a small cone of gelato in hand.

"Serena, I have to go now. Chuck's coming." Blair interrupted her steady flow of chatter.

"Oh, do you have to?" Serena said, trying to mask how disappointed she was.

"I do, I'm sorry." A pang of guilt hit Blair. She had been neglecting her duties as a friend the past two weeks.

"Don't be sorry! Go! Enjoy the rest of your holiday." Serena urged

"Thanks, S! I love you."

"I love you too, B."

Blair ended the call just in time for Serena to hear Chuck call out "I love you more, Serena!" In a mock girly voice.

Chuck handed the now melting gelato to Blair with a grin. Blair returned his smirk and thanked him.

"Here. Want to try some?" She held the cone up to Chuck, who turned his nose up at her offer.

"As if I would ever eat anything so green." He stated very matter of factly. Blair turned to him and raised one eyebrow.

"But Chuck. You need to eat your greens." She argued with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and watched as her little pink tongue darted out to catch where the desert was dripping.

"True as that may be, I hardly think you can tell me that's in quite the same vicinity as garden peas." Chuck responded.

"Oh but don't you want to try it?" Blair held the gelato out to him again, a devious glint in her eyes.

"Fine, pass it he-" Before Chuck could say anything else she had smeared the gelato all across his mouth and hopped up from the bench, spluttering with laughter. Chuck pursed his now green lips and wiped away the majority of the green stuff. Blair leant down to where he was seated, capturing his mouth in a sweet kiss, before straddling his lap and licking the remaining gelato from his chin, planting soft little kisses on his face as she did. Chuck grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him, wiping his chin against her smooth face in retaliation. Blair struggled against his grasp, giggling.

"Let go, let go." She begged him, wriggling to get free from him.

Chuck grinned and placed a chaste kiss on her soft lips, ever tightening his hold on her. She relaxed into his arms and he smirked.

"Sorry. It was just so tempting." Blair explained, her finger darting to remove the last trace of the sticky, sweet gelato. She put her finger to her mouth and sucked it, her eyes mischievous.

"What goes around comes around." He stated in response. "You'll get what's coming to you, later." He grinned at her and chuckled. The corners of her mouth played up into a smile and she hopped up from his lap, pulling him up with her. The pair strolled arm in arm around Italy, the heat of the tuscan sun on their backs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for a very very short chapter**

"Everything will be fine, Blair." Chuck murmured, his voice like silk. He placed a long arm around his wife's delicate frame in an attempt to soothe her. Blair was bouncing up and down in her seat frantically as she watched the seatbelt signs flicker on and off. This was the first time the couple had flown commercially together and as much as she tried to deny it, planes terrified Blair Waldorf Bass.

She hunched in on herself and started to chew on her long nails. Knowing that he'd be somehow responsible for allowing her to ruin her manicure, he pulled her hands away from her quivering mouth and held them in place in his lap.

"The pilot has now turned on the seatbelt signs as we are coming in to some turbulence. Please remain in your seats with your belts securely fastened." A clear voice rang through the first class cabin on a radio. Blair struggled in Chuck's firm grasp, momentarily irrational.

She looked out of the plane window and panicked as she saw the monstrous, metal wings shaking furiously. "We're going to die! Why didn't we take the jet?"

"The jet was being serviced, remember? We'd of had to delay our honeymoon by six weeks." He tried to reason, stroking her hand with his thumb. Blair settled on taking deep breaths. She tried with all her power to relax.

After twelve, long minutes. The plane steadied and the seatbelt signs were turned off. An announcement from the cabin crew told Chuck and Blair that the flight would be smooth from here on outwards. Blair let out a repressed sigh and tried to relax back into her plush, first class seat.

"I told you it would be fine." Chuck soothed his tense wife. Un-doing the tight clasp on his seat belt. He noted that Blair kept hers on.

"I wasn't even scared." She insisted and he couldn't keep himself from erupting with laughter.

"You were absolutely terrified." He told her, his shoulders trembling as he tried to control himself. She wriggled out of his grasp and her expression was threatening. She slapped his arm accusingly, as though he'd suggested something a lot less accurate.

"Okay, okay, you weren't at all scared." He lied, unable to keep himself from chortling. Blair just scoffed at him and reached into her bag to retrieve the copy of vogue she had picked up at the airport in Florence. She didn't need to read Italian to appreciate fashion.

Soon, Chuck found himself peering over her shoulder and pointing out things he thought would suit her. Blair hummed in appreciation at the fact she'd managed to hook herself a fashion conscious Bass. At one point, he gestured towards a lovely Erdem, the light shade of pink would look delicious with Blair's complexion, he thought.

"Already on the waiting list." She sighed, stroking the glossy page.

"Waiting list? Basses don't wait." Chuck said, his voice full of self awareness.

"They do when there are more important people to lavish with dresses." Blair said. Chuck, shocked at her new-found lack of self importance, pulled her chin up so she was facing him.

"No one is more important than you. Do you hear me?" He insisted, caressing the smooth skin on her cheek. Blair turned her head into his palm and closed her eyes for a brief moment, before she gazed into his earnest, hazel eyes.

"You flatter me, Bass." She joked, trying to lighten the serious atmosphere. Chuck smiled a rare, genuine grin.

"I love you." He told her.

"I love you too." She replied instantly.

The pair shared a sweet kiss before turning back to Blair's suddenly less captivating copy of Vogue Italia.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bass?" Blair called out, whilst inspecting a large package at the foot of her bed at the Waldorf residence. No response came, so despite her anger at Chuck, she tore into the box to find a parcel from Bottega Veneta. She let out a girlish cry before pulling the lid off of the box. Inside, she found a note - embossed with CB, of course - and a black satin shift dress, decorated with tiny crystals in a geometric print. The same dress she had tried on when shopping with Serena but couldn't justify in light of the expensive Balenciaga she had indulged in. She hugged the garment to her chest, inhaling the scent of new clothes and stores. The soft material glided against her cheek and she almost forgot about the note that had come with the present. Folding the dress and putting it back inside the box, she contemplated ignoring the note, but curiosity won her over and she grabbed it.

_Dear Blair_

said the note in Chuck's own handwriting.

_I'm sorry I've been unavailable for the past week. It was never my intention to make you feel unwanted, _

_I never imagined for a moment that Bass Industries would be so time consuming with the absence of Lily._

_I'm sure you know that the last thing I want is for you to remain at your Mothers._

_I hope you will consider my gift a small fraction of the apology I owe you and come to the Empire tonight_

_where I will proceed to make it up to you._

_With Love_

_Chuck _

Blair's romantic nature swooned at the note and she felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach, it wasn't often that Chuck apologised for anything so of course she had to feel special. But she was still upset about the way in which he had treated her two nights ago.

When Blair had sensed Chuck's tense mood over the course of the week, she decided he needed to relax. Blair had busied herself with making sure everything that evening would be perfect, the way a wife should. Every detail, from her dress, to the type of candles she had burning over the expensive dinner she had specifically chosen and picked up from the Lion. So when Chuck arrived from work and simply told her that he wasn't interested in playing 'happy family's' tonight and went straight to the hotel bar, she'd first tried to fight back tears from Chuck's desertion but soon her anger kicked in and she gathered her belongings and demanded that Dorota make up her old bedroom.

"But Miss Blair! Mister Chuck very stressed at the moment, he tell me so himself!" Her maid tried to reason with Blair, but she had resolved to teach her husband what life was like without her. Even though he most likely would not notice she was gone now that his schedule was so packed. Her first night back in her old bed was horrible, the soft mattress and silk sheets could not provide her with enough comfort to chase away the nagging empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Blair was so angry at Chuck for disregarding her but she considered, multiple times, running back to the Empire and crawling into bed with him. However she had to stick to her guns, it was in her genes, and how would Chuck ever learn if she acted like a lost puppy, following him around like he was some sort of God. The second night was easier, she had kept herself busy at the Waldorf Designs atelier until mid afternoon when she went on a long shopping trip with Serena, so when she returned to the penthouse, a rest was welcomed. When she had woken up, she found the package. Two nights without Blair's presence had been all Chuck needed to fall to his knees and beg for her to return.

Chuck knew he was going to have to work for his wife's forgiveness. He'd shunned her kind advances when he was stressed and he knew he'd hurt her. When he arrived back to the suite, he saw the dinner she'd got for them, cold on the table, the candles almost burnt completely out. It painted a sad picture and he felt increasingly guilty about leaving her alone. He didn't, however, expect to find an empty bed, so he was shocked when he pulled the door open and she wasn't there. He searched every corner of their home, calling her name and checking even the monstrous closet, in case she'd found comfort in couture as she so often did. When he discovered that at least a weeks worth of her things had been taken from the drawers, he panicked. Was she leaving him? Surely not, they'd been through worse. He checked her jewellery box and to his delight found that she hadn't left her wedding rings behind. Although worried, he decided it was best to leave Blair alone for now. He would work on a suitable apology once he had slept off the alcohol. So when he followed Blair the next day, he could sense that she was still angry judging by her insatiable need to shop, and by Serena's terrified expression as she trailed after her furious, brunette friend.

When Blair stepped through the elevator and into Chuck's hotel suite she felt a sexy ambiance, he'd lit candles everywhere and there was a dinner for them, similar to the one she'd prepared. Chuck emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron which he sheepishly whipped off the moment he saw her. Chuck took in her appearance, she was wearing the dress, hopefully this signaled a truce. Her eyes flickered to the dinner table, she could tell that Chuck had cooked it because of its lack of elegance. She had to suppress a grin when she saw the way he'd presented the food.

"You look lovely." He commented, his eyes raking over her body. She did a quick turn, so he could survey her entire get-up.

"Yes, I see you followed me. Nice touch." She said with a bitter note in her voice. Chuck quickly realised that it was going to take more than a home cooked dinner, a dress and a few compliments to win his wife's forgiveness. Blair herself was ambivalent in her current feelings towards Chuck, in one sense, all she wanted was to fall into his arms and make up for the time they missed out on together, but her pride was marred and she'd never forgive herself if she didn't make him work to regain her trust, Blair couldn't allow herself to become boring to Chuck, it was a part of the reason they worked so well. He took several steps towards her, closing the space between them and took her hand.

"Blair." He began. "Vision of love and perfection, I am eternally sorry for the cruel way in which I treated you." The sentence fell from his tongue like velvet and it made Blair shiver with delight. It was as though Chuck could see her icy exterior thawing and he slipped past her to pull her chair out. Blair sat down, muttering something about how gentlemanly he was acting.

"Bass, did you cook this?" Blair was unable to keep herself from giggling at the poor standard of food he'd presented her with. Happy to hear her back to calling him by his last name, he mimed hurt.

"You don't like it? Oh but I spent hours slaving in the kitchen especially for you." He scooped some of the slop on his plate onto a fork and held it dauntingly out to her, she edged away on her chair and grinned. "Oh won't you try it Blair?" He teased.

"I'll pass if that's alright with you." She scrunched her nose up at his offer.

The table wobbled beneath them and Chuck dropped the fork in an attempt to stop the expensive red wine from staining the pale carpets. Blair shot up and squealed all of a sudden.

"My dress! My dress!" She shouted over and over until Chuck's attention was turned to the large splatter of goo on her new Bottega. He pinched himself as not to burst out laughing because he knew she wasn't finding it at all funny. Blair snapped.

"You think this is funny, don't you?!" She demanded. "It's not! My dress is ruined."

"I'll get you a new one." Chuck tried to compromise with her but she was growing more and more exacerbated by the second. Blair marched over to him, pulled him to his feet and held his shirt collar.

"Listen here, Bass. I'm not here for games and now that your little food fight is over, I'm leaving." She growled. Making movements to leave. Excitement whipped up in Chuck and he grabbed her waist, pulling her mouth to his own in a passionate kiss. When they broke the kiss for air, Blair looked more ferocious than ever before her dark eyes darting back and forth into his own. She pulled him back into another kiss and they fumbled into the bedroom.

"Maybe we should have food fights more often." Chuck murmured into her warm skin as they lay naked together.

"I can think of other ways you can ravish me. I liked that dress." She said mournfully, her mind wandering back to the Bottega that lay discarded on the floor.

"I will get you another one." He decided aloud. "Now am I forgiven?" He turned and propped himself up on one elbow to examine her thoughtful face.

"Not quite." She said, an impish grin forming on her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

_**This isn't the greatest, however I've not posted in so long that I thought I owed you even a small update. I am so sorry. I've not deserted Chuck and Blair. Promise!**_

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxo**

"Blair, Charles!" Eleanor exclaimed, welcoming the Basses into her home in France. Cyrus followed quickly behind his wife, greeting Blair with his signature 'not enough' hug and shaking Chuck's hand. Cyrus had his arm around Eleanor's slim waist, mirroring the image of Chuck and Blair who stood in the vast hallway of the Waldrof-Rose's newly acquired chateau only forty-five minutes away from Harold and Roman's home.

"The place is wonderful, Cyrus." Chuck said, peering up at the ornately carved ceiling, observing the patterns which he could only fathom a guess to how difficult they may have been to construct. Blair hummed in agreement, her Mother had always shown good taste and her newest home was a reflection of it entirely. There was a pair of ivory antique love-seats opposite each other in the grand entrance, decorated modestly with warm coloured pillows. The large oblong windows welcomed daylight into the 18th century building, and a magnificent marble staircase which opened up un-seen areas of the monstrous home.

"It's very decadent, but we just couldn't resist." Eleanor explained.

"Nothing wrong with a little bit of self-indulgence, Mother. As children who grew up on the upper east side, you need not explain yourselves to us." Blair amended, nudging Chuck who smiled in agreement, neither of them had ever been denied anything they wanted, except perhaps each other.

With the initial welcoming merriment passed, Eleanor and Cyrus showed Chuck and Blair their room so they could freshen up in time for tea. It was a sizeable en-suite room with a balcony, overlooking the tremendous garden which would captivate even the least of green fingered. The furniture was custom made in the style of Louis xiv, as realistic as it looked, Blair knew that Eleanor was not particularly fond of using antique furniture, seeing as others had used it before. In-fact she doubted if the seats in the entrance were ever used at all. Briefly, she wondered how many maids her mother had to hire in order to keep the colossal chateau going. Chuck sank down onto the bed, the soft mattress taking all his weight. He beckoned for his equally jet lagged wife to join him and she did. For a moment, Chuck just held Blair, both of them shut their eyes and they soaked in the calm atmosphere of France.

"We should probably go down now." Chuck suggested, not making any attempt to move or open his eyes.

"You're right." Blair sighed, grudgingly untangling herself from Chuck. She rose from the soft bed and made her way to the bathroom to make herself more presentable.

When Blair emerged from the bathroom, she found her husband perched on the edge of the bed. He was wearing a fresh shirt - her favourite Armani light purple pinstripe - with a powder blue ascot poking out of the top. Blair smirked at Chuck's flair for accessories and offered him her hand. He took her fingers and pressed them to his lips. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she sighed with contentment.

"I'm lucky to have you, Charles Bartholomew Bass."

"And, Blair Cornelia Waldorf Bass, I am in turn, very lucky to have you."

The couple gazed longingly into each others eyes before leaning in to rest their foreheads against each others.

"Blair, darling!" An unwanted interruption came shouting from Eleanor, and the pair quickly livened up. Blair brushed invisible creases from her floral, chiffon Malene Birger day dress and raked her fingers through her long curls.

"Let's go." Chuck said, as he hoisted himself up from the bed, offering her his arm, which she looped her own into. The two made their way to the lunching room and sat opposite each other, Blair next to her mother and Chuck opposite Cyrus. As the luxurious food was being served, Chuck's eyes drifted astray, Blair followed his line of vision into the corner of the room, where stood the grand piano which had once lived in the foyer of the Waldorf penthouse. Chuck stared at it for a moment before suppressing a devilish grin which only Blair would understand. For the piano in question had been damaged by the pair on the night of Blair's 20th birthday party. The angry sex they'd had on the lid of that piano had eventually led to a beautiful enemies with benefits situation which peaked and spiraled in record time. Blair still felt angry with herself for not taking her chance to be with Chuck when he'd asked her a few weeks later. All the drama with Louis Grimaldi and Daniel Humphrey could have been spared. However, she thought, they would not be Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck, king and queen of the Upper East Side without all the mischief and masochism that came with the titles.

"Eleanor," Chuck suddenly addressed Blair's mother during dessert. "Pardon me for asking. But I thought you'd left that Piano behind when you moved. After all, it was broken, was it not?"

Eleanor looked suddenly pensive and Blair kicked Chuck's shin under the table, the rounded point of her heel making contact with so much force that she knew it was going to bruise. She'd be sorry later but now she was more focused on her husband not telling her mother that they'd had sex on the piano in the corner of the room.

"Well, yes, it was broken, but I had it mended, there wasn't anything wrong with the keys, the lid only needed replacing due to a few cracks. I didn't want to leave it behind, I know how much it means to Blair, as she grew up with it."

Chuck's smile grew wider and Blair glared at him.

"How thoughtful of you to keep it. I'm sure Blair has _many_ a fond memory of times she's shared with that instrument." No one could have missed the suggestive tone in Chuck's voice, but it remained the elephant in the room for the duration of the polite lunch until Blair dragged Chuck upstairs, claiming jet lag.

"What was that?" She all but screamed at him when she knew the door was safely locked. Chuck grinned at her and she couldn't help but giggle a little impishly.

"I was making small talk… Why? What did you think I might be insinuating?" He winked at her and Blair felt her insides melt.

"You knew what you were doing."

"Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't. But now that you mention it, perhaps when Eleanor and Cyrus go out for dinner later, we might re-visit…" Chuck let his thoughts drift off.

"Or not. There was too much hatred that night." Blair's eyelids dropped and he lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him.

"I never hated you. Ever. I couldn't. You know that?" His gaze was so honest that she nodded.

"I couldn't ever hate you either. We both know what should have been said then." Blair sighed.

"If I could re-phrase, I would have said that I loved you, that there was a fiery pit of love burning inside of me, ready to explode." Chuck stroked her thin arm

"And I too would have told you that I've never loved anyone more, that every nerve ending in my body was electrified by love." She returned, sinking down into his chest, letting him take her weight.

"I love you Blair Waldorf Bass."

"I love you too, Chuck Bass."


	6. Chapter 6

"Charles Bartholomew Bass!" Shouted Blair, exactly three weeks after her twenty-third birthday. Chuck came running at lightning speed, finding her hunched over the toilet seat in their pristine bathroom. He was instantly terrified. Did this mean that her bulimia was back? He'd heard her throwing up in the morning but pretended to be ignorant because he was unsure. Blair, although still beautiful, looked entirely feverish. Her porcelain skin was sticky and almost translucent, there was no colour in her usually rosy cheeks and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail - a look she didn't ever go for.

"Blair… Are you, are you ill again?" Chuck blurted, he had to know if she was hurting herself again. He had to get her help if she was. "I can call the clinic, we'll get you help. I love you." He said in earnest.

Blair huffed and pushed herself up, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"I'm not bulimic chuck. I wouldn't do that now." She told him.

"Then… what?" He searched her eyes for some kind of explanation.

Blair moved out of the way of the toilet. Resting on the top was a Clearblue pregnancy test. Chuck's jaw dropped.

The couple were sitting opposite each other at the colossal dining table. Staring at one another, waiting for the other to speak first.

"So you're pregnant?" Chuck finally broke the silence.

"So it would seem." Blair murmured, unsure of how he might react. But what she wasn't expecting was for him to leap up and pull her into his chest.

"I love you. I love our baby. We're going to have a family."

Blair grinned into his shirt. "Yes, we are going to have a family."

Blair pulled away from Chuck's chest so she could look up at him. She held onto his arms and his expression mirrored hers. Happiness.

"When did you find out?" He asked her. Eye's bright with excitement.

"Just now. But we need to go to the doctors so we can have it confirmed." Blair's rational thought process was beginning to kick in.

"Let's go now!" Chuck insisted.

Blair was perched on the end of a plastic waiting room chair, Chuck's hand on her shoulder in an attempt to sooth her jitteriness.

"What if I'm not pregnant? What if I was just late?" She began to question herself aloud.

"Don't even think about it. We're going to find out soon. It doesn't matter if you aren't, we have time and we can keep trying!" He assured her.

When Blair's name was called out, she shot up and hurried to the doctor's office, followed by Chuck. They sat in the comfortable doctor's chairs and waited in anticipation for the words that would secure their family's future.

"Mr and Mrs Bass, is it?" The mid-fifties doctor asked, her greying hair scraped from her face, obvious worry lines beginning to form. Her hazel eyes looked soft and kind.

"Yes, that's right." Chuck amended. "Are we having a baby?" He could no longer wait for the answer.

"Indeed you are." She said, a wide smile forming on her aging face. Chuck and Blair turned to each other, their expressions mirrored. They both donned ear to ear grins and were grasping each others hands in joy.

"Congratulations, I'm sure your son or daughter will have a very loving family." The doctor proceeded. The Basses however, were speechless, nothing so special had ever belonged to them both. Their baby, their child, the start of the modern day Bass empire.

"It's a boy." Blair told Chuck with certainty. Chuck looked puzzled.

"How can you know? You're not far along enough yet." He asked.

"I just know. He will be a boy." She said.

"If I may interject?" The doctor interrupted. Both turned to stare at her, she looked somewhat concerned. "There is no way of knowing yet, Mrs Bass, you should hold off on buying things for a son, in case you have a daughter." The doctor had a reasonable point.

"I know he's a son." Blair said with an air of finality. Both Chuck and the doctor then just nodded.

When they had arrived back at the penthouse which they shared, Chuck started to consider names they could give their son.

"Have you got any name ideas yet, my love?" He asked Blair.

"Not yet, I've not had time to process it enough." She admitted. "Why? Have you?" Blair added as an after-thought

"Nothing really." Chuck lied, not wanting to push her.

"I know you're not telling me the truth. Honestly Bass, it's been six years and you still think I can't see through you." Blair sighed.

"Well I did have some ideas when you said that he was going to be a boy. But they're not important." He explained. She moved to stroke his back.

"Of course they're important. Don't be silly. Now tell me what you had in mind." She demanded with a softness that she preserved for him.

He deliberated before answering "How about something traditional like Henry?"

Her smile fell and her eyes turned angry. "Why would you even suggest that?" She roared.

Chuck was taken aback, he didn't understand why she would be so angry about a name… Unless. Ah. The name he chose to adopt when in Prague.

"Oh Blair, I'm sorry, I didn't even realise!" He tried to take her hand but she pulled it away and folded her arms.

"And I suppose, if we have a girl, we might as well call her Eva?" Blair snapped, tears forming in her doe-eyes.

He hated that he had upset her and moved to hold her but again, she pulled herself away from his embrace and marched to the bedroom. Slamming the door behind her. Chuck mentally scolded himself for being so insensitive. He'd not even remembered that he had called himself Henry to escape Blair and being found. He could understand entirely why she would want to avoid the subject of their painful meeting in Paris two years ago, but in truth, Eva had only ever been kind to Blair. Her natural Waldorf schemer emerged when Blair sent Eva packing. Chuck couldn't now believe how infuriated he had been with her. Eva was never going to be his future and he knew that, but she was a way to avoid the truth. The truth that he'd lost his future when he slept with Jenny. Clearly he'd done something right as his future had returned to him and they had gotten married, but if he was so careless about the way he spoke about his time pretending he wasn't Chuck Bass, he knew his wife would be hurt.

Chuck found Blair hunched in the corner of their vast bedroom, her knees hugged into her chin. Her eyes were red and puffy and his heart sank. He slid against the wall and slumped down next to her. She barely acknowledged him and continued to stare into space.

"I didn't mean it like that, Blair. You know you're the only person I care about. That prostitute means nothing to me, nor did she ever really." He promised her. She turned to look into his eyes, searching for honesty.

"That's not what you told me then. You told me I'd taken your future away." She mumbled, her voice was little, like a child.

"She was never going to be my future. You took my future away when you walked away from me that night at the hospital. But that was my own fault. I'm lucky you had heart enough to give me my future back. Without you, I have no future." He took her small hand in his own and smoothed the soft skin with his thumb. Blair wiped at her eyes and sniffed before sighing.

"No. You're right. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about it. In truth, the idea of her still threatens me even though I know she's gone for good." Blair admitted. Chuck pulled her to him and stroked her hair.

"You are the only woman I care about." He insisted.

"Henry's not even a bad name. I actually like it. We should call him Henry Charles Bass." Blair murmured into his shirt. Chuck grinned and continued to play with her hair.

"We don't have to if it reminds you of… That." He said. She shook her head and patted his chest with her free hand.

"Henry Prince was the man you wanted to be when you were with me. Kind, honest, giving and sensitive. What you didn't realise is that you were already, you just made a few mistakes. I want our son to be just like his father, but his own person. Henry Prince was not my Chuck Bass, but although it's a fake name, there is a part of you that will always be him, even though you didn't need an alter-ego because you already had all those qualities. Our son can be the man you always wanted to be and have grown up to be." Blair ended her short speech by looking up at Chuck and stroking his cheek. Chuck was holding back tears.

"Henry Charles Bass it is then." He choked out.


End file.
